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Last modified: 29 Jul 2020 10:17am

A man and a woman in green and black uniform stand together next to containers of fruit and vegetables in a grocery store

As part of our new Selwyn Open campaign we’ll be running a series on some of the many excellent businesses local to you.For our first edition of Selwyn Open we talk to Cameron and Elysse Renouf who run the Leeston Grocer.

You can find businesses open at Level 3 at our Selwyn Open page.

Qualified builder Cameron and flight attendant Elysse have lived in Leeston for three years and say it was a love of the town that prompted the change in career. “It’s an awesome little town. You sort of get to that Selwyn bridge and it’s like the rush of the city is gone and everybody seems friendly out here.”

It was a big jump, responding to calls on Facebook and opening in March 2019, Cameron says. “We worked really hard to find some local producers, learn all about markets and learn all about fruit and veges.”

The motto “Grow local. Buy local. Support local.” is plastered around the store and central to what they do. The business also supports Leeston charities such as Plunket, supplying the local school, hospital and supporting local events. They bring in tomatoes, broccoli, courgettes, corn, carrots, onion, potatoes, beans, cherries, free-range eggs all from within a ten minute radius of Leeston and other products from across the district.

“We try to be different, we try to be personal. The word grocer I think reflects that you are coming to a shop that is a family business and you are going to get to know the people behind the counter and they are going to get to know you,” Cameron says.

Sourcing locally means products arrive fresher in your grocery bag, have a lower carbon footprint and support Selwyn businesses. “I don’t think people realise how much is actually produced around here and how many farms there are. When you’re shopping with us, you’re not just supporting me and my family, you’re actually supporting all the businesses that we supply off.”